


The Adventures of Rocky Road and Butter Pecan

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-20 18:21:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2438405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was so important to make the most of moments like this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Adventures of Rocky Road and Butter Pecan

“I'm the one that complained that we didn’t spend enough quiet time together and I was late tonight.”

“Well there's a first time for everything.”

“What are we talking about, my being late or my complaining?”

“I think I’ll leave it at a first time for everything.”

Emily laughed, gently bumping her shoulder on Hotch’s. He leaned and kissed her temple. It was a beautiful late spring night in Washington, DC and they were walking down the crowded street. It was date night, Hotch made the plans at Equinox nearly a month in advance. The team returned from Memphis on Wednesday and their Unit Chief said they were staying in office until Monday barring serious crisis.

The paperwork was piling up again and they weren't the only team in the BAU. It was time to work on the unglamorous parts of the job while someone else did the heavy lifting. No one disagreed. It had been a whirlwind of plane rides, cities, and towns lately…a break was just perfect.

He wanted to do something special for Emily but everyone else didn’t need to know that. They never really had a chance to date. They went out of course, sometimes, but work was so busy. This was definitely not a conventional relationship.

Maybe that was a good thing but Hotch knew he missed the little things that came with taking a woman out and impressing her. Not that Emily wanted to be impressed. She wanted to be loved and he thought he had a pretty good handle on that.

“I think I want dessert.” She said, squeezing his hand as they did a slow walk past the White House.

She had been in there too many times to count and still found it to be a beautiful place. There was always something new to discover. It was so amazing by the light of the moon. Just a month before, her mother was appointed to a new Ambassador post, the US Ambassador to the UN.

The family was in the East Room for yet another ceremony. This job was a big deal for Elizabeth so her daughter pushed everything aside to be there for her. Her sister, Julia, who worked as a diplomatic interpreter at the UN, was also there.

Still, for all the places she had been and seen, Emily preferred the comfort of home. She preferred cuddling on the couch with Hotch or watching a football game with Morgan. All her life she’d shuffled around, never staying somewhere for long or staying a little too long. It was so nice to have a real place to call home and a family. Even though her job required that she travel even more than she had in childhood, she was still at a more stationary place in her heart and mind than she’d ever been.

“Nothing on the menu at Equinox caught your eye?” Hotch asked.

“No, I want ice cream. I want lots of ice cream.”

He knew exactly where she wanted to go. They went there on their first date and it was a great experience for them both. While they'd both grown up running through “important” circles that wasn’t who Aaron Hotchner and Emily Prentiss were. They weren't exactly Formica tables and cheesy 80s music either, but they felt comfort when they were there together. Hotch stepped closer to the curb and hailed a cab to the Georgetown Diner.

***

“I'm a firm believer that ice cream makes the world a better place. I wish I could eat it everyday.”

“You could.” Hotch replied smiling.

“It’s kinda hard to chase Unsubs carrying around an extra 30 pounds. It’s a nice dream though. Everything about tonight was nice.”

“Tonight is not a dream. I wish we could do this more often though.”

“What?” Emily asked.

“I wish we could be normal. I don’t even like the sound of that but it’s hard to woo a woman when you’re constantly running off to chase maniacs.”

“Um, hi,” Emily raised her one hand and used the other to eat a spoonful of her sundae. “I'm right beside you while you're chasing.”

“I know but…wouldn’t you like just one night where we’re not those people?” Hotch asked.

“I don’t know. I fell in love with you and you fell in love with me, Hotch. Maybe those other two people wouldn’t fall in love. My father says the grass is always greener on the other side. I like this side of the street just fine.” She ate more ice cream. “You really should eat some of this.”

He smiled and complied. Maybe she was right. Hotch wished he had more time to romance her but the lack of time surely didn’t mean the lack of love. They were madly in love and had pushed through serious barriers in their time together. He wanted this to be for all time; made promises in his heart and soul.

He’d failed before, so had she, but this bliss was worth fighting for tooth and nail. Still, a little more time would be nice. Not that Hotch would even know what to do with it. The few times he had it, it usually went to paperwork.

There was also Jack and…well, there was just Jack. He didn’t see his parents enough and Hotch couldn’t even remember the last time he saw his brother. Everything needed to slow down but he doubted it would. It was so important to make the most of moments like this.

“If our love was an ice cream flavor, which would it be?” Emily asked. She stuck out her tongue to grab the caramel on her bottom lip which threatened to dribble down her chin.

“Rocky Road, one hundred percent.”

“Chocolate ice cream, nuts, marshmallows, huh? Is that how you see us?”

“What's your pick?”

“Butter pecan. A little salty, a little sweet; it’s the perfect combination going down.”

“Did you notice though that both of the ice cream flavors we picked have nuts?” Hotch asked. “What would a profiler say about that?”

“Mmm, I’ll ask one and get back to you.”

***

It was past Jack’s bedtime when Hotch got home. Still, he changed into pajamas and called Jessie. Everything was fine there, Jack had a great day. She was glad to hear that Hotch would have a free weekend to spend with his son. Haley was living with her now too, recovering well from the vicious attack by George Foyet.

She didn’t plan on returning to the house where she and Hotch built a life together. She wanted to start somewhere fresh. She soon planned to marry and live happily ever after with another man. Hotch didn’t want to think too much about that so after a nice conversation with Jessie he ended the call.

He turned on CNN, which he didn’t want to do but was addicted to news. There were so many things going on in the world; he needed to be informed. Even while secretly wanting to escape with Emily and Jack to a deserted island, he was watching the horrors unfold on the screen. Sighing, he decided not to do it tonight and turned on TCM instead. _The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes_ was a nice way to end this evening.

“Hey, Agent Hotchner?”

“Yeah, ba…” the rest of the word died on Hotch’s lips when he looked at her. Damn, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. And he was seeing a lot of her right now in a nearly transparent red nightgown. “Wow.”

“Do you like it?” Emily asked, leaning against the bathroom doorframe for effect. She probably didn’t have to do that. The look of awe followed by that dimpled grin told her the nightgown itself, and maybe the woman in it, were all the effect Hotch needed. “I wasn’t sure if you’d like it.”

“I like it.” He replied.

“C'mere and tell me how much.”

Hotch couldn’t get off the bed fast enough. Soon he was holding her against the doorframe, his large but gentle hands running across smooth satin and smoother skin. His kisses were soft and passionate. He loved the way Emily sighed.

“You are so beautiful, baby. I’m the luckiest man in the whole world.”

“Even when I drive you mad?” Emily asked.

“The way you madden me is very different than the way other people do.” He caressed her belly. “A part of me feels a little dirty thinking what I'm thinking…there's a child in the room after all.”

Emily laughed, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close. She inhaled the scent of him, one of the millions of ways Hotch made her heady. When her pregnant belly rubbed on his flat one it gave her butterflies. She was almost six months pregnant now; the way touch made Emily’s skin tingle was a sensation she’d never felt in her life. Someone needed to bottle and sell it. Maybe she would since it could just be the way he made her feel. That was something she hadn't even considered.

“I was thinking of the perfect way to end our date night.” She whispered as her lips teased his.

“I almost thought it would be Basil Rathbone.” Hotch replied, leading her by the hand over to the bed.

He turned off the TV while Emily got comfortable. They didn’t need classic movies tonight; this was going to be a different show altogether. Hotch smiled as he moved onto the bed with her.

“Tell me what you want, Mrs. Hotchner. We’ll make tonight all about you.” He kissed her, stroking his fingers through her hair.

“I want to be loved by you.”

“That’s a given; 24-7 three hundred and sixty five days of the year. I love you with my whole heart and soul.”

“OK,” She smiled as she caressed his face. “I want you to make love to me.”

“I don’t think that’s gonna be a problem either, baby. Do you love me?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Do I make you happy?” Hotch asked.

“Words could never fully express how happy I am. I don’t need normal, I just need this.”

“What is this?”

The pretty nightgown came off and Hotch admired her beautiful body. She glowed all the time now and he loved being surrounded by her light.

“This is heaven, Aaron Hotchner. Don’t you feel it?”

“I always do when I'm with you.”

“Then stop talking.”

He did, but they never really needed words. It had been that way from their bumpy beginnings. Over three years ago when she showed up in his office with her box and her assignment papers, Hotch never could’ve imagined they would be here. His mind wouldn’t have been able to wrap around wanting someone and loving someone so wholly who wasn’t his wife. Of course Emily was his wife now.

She was his life partner, his field partner, and his soul mate. She was about to be the mother of his child. She made his heart beat wildly in anticipation of the next smile, laugh, or whispered word. When they made love Hotch’s feet lifted from the ground. When he held her in the afterglow it was a feeling he hoped never got old or faded. The way she said I love you sounded as if no one had ever said the words to him before. It was effortless to say it back when she was falling asleep in his arms.

***

  



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